Portable folding chicken-coop.



R. H. WAKEMAN. PORTABLE FOLDING CHICKEN COOP.

1 1 21 A25. Patented De0.15,1914

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 R. H. WAKEMAN. PORTABLE FOLDING CHICKEN COOP.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 12, 1912.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 'nr. NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTU-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, D. t

. sible during transportation or when laid RUDOLPH WAKEMAN, or. BROCKROAZD, VIRGINIA.

reactants FOLDING CHICKEN-COOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed me 12, 1 12. Serial No. 703,281.

To all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, R DOLPH H. Warm- MAN, avcitizen of the United States, residlng at Brockroad, in the county of Spotsylvania and State of Virginia, have invented .new and useful'llmprovements in Portable Folding Chicken-Coops, of which the following is a specification. r

The invention provides a portable structure which may be used" as a tent, house or protector and which specifically is designed as a housing for small stock'and consists of a coop designed chiefly for protecting poultry, such as chickens and which isportable and foldable so as to be reduced-to a compact form for convenience of handling and to occupy the smallest amount of space pos:

aside for future use.

The housing or protecting structure com- ;prises oppositely inclined side walls and foldableendwalls hingedly connected along their edge tov the verticaledge portions of the side walls, the end walls folding inwardly between the'side walls when the structure is reduced to a compact form fortransportationor storage. o

The invention consistsof the novel features, detailsof construction andcombination of parts, which hereinafter will be more particularly set forth, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims. a I' Referring to the drawings, forming a part of the specification, Figure liS aperspective View of a portable folding structureembodying the invention. Fig. 2is a vertical transverse section; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line of Fig. 1. Fig. his a vertical central longitudinal section, showing the relation of the parts when the structure is folded. Fig.6 is a horizontal section on the line y-y of Fig. 45. Fig; 6 is a sectional view of the j ointbetween the leaves of a folding end of thestructure on the line .e.e of Fig. '2. Fig. '7'is a sectional view of the joint formed between aside and an end wall on the line w w of Fig. 2.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description, and indi-v cated in all the views of the drawings, by the same reference characters. I v

. The structure comprises side walls 1 and and 5 thereof may come walls,

end walls 2, the several'walls being hingedly connected in any manner to admitrof the side walls 1 folding one upon the other, with the end walls 2 between them, thereby resulting in a flattened package when the structure is folded. Any suitable material may be employed in the formation of the structure and the several parts may be hingedly connected in any convenient and substantial way. It is preferred to. construct the device of sheet material, metal being. preferred because a of its lightness, strength and durability. The side walls 1 are hingedlyconnected along their upper edges,-as indicated at 3. When the structure is set up in opposite directions. The hinge joint, 3 maybe formed in any manner, preferably by rolling an edge portion ofveach wall upon itself and removingportions' 'of the rolls thus formed to provide matching knuckles through which a stout wire or pin 3 is passed. The lower edges of the side walls are reinforced, as indicated at 1*, to stilfen andstrengthen them, said reinforcement being had in any manner, being preferably formed by folding the lower edge portion of each side wall upon itself one or. more times. I Y

The end walls 2 are of like construction,

each consisting-of two leaves or sections 4:

and 5 of-like formation. The leaves of each end wall are hingedly connected to each otherat theirinner or opposing edges and have their outer'edges hingedly connected to the vertical edge portions of the side walls. Each end wall is of triangular form and the Patented Dec. 15, 1914;.

foruse the side walls 1 incline hinge joint between its leaves occurs upon amedial line, thereby admitting of the end walls folding inwardly so that the leaves 4 between the side as indicated most clearly in Fig.5. The leaves to each other and to the side walls in any manner to admit of the structure as a whole folding into flattened form. In the preferable construction the opposing edges of the hingedly connected parts are formed into matching knuckles in substantially the same manner as the hinge joint 3, the several matchingknuckles being connected by means of a wire or in 2 passing therethrough. The vertical edge portions of the of the end walls may. be hinged end walls are bent outwardly, asindicated at 6,: to. form stops to engage with the side walls, 1 and limit the outward movement of the end walls'when the structure is'set up "for use. These bent portions 6 reinforce the vertical edges of the end walls. WV-ire fastenings 7 hingedly connect the leaves of the end walls to the side walls and pass the upper portion of each of the end walls,"

through openings in the angles formed be;

tween the leaves and the flanges 6 and through openings formed in thewalls .1.

A plurality of openings 8, are formed in both for ventilation and to admit light.

Theseopenings are formed by partly cutting portions from the end walls "and pressing the same outwardly along their lower edges, wherebythe openings are protected tering the structure. Whenthe structure is set up the end walls are held extendedby means of bars 9, which are 'pivotally conrnected t one ofthe leavesl or and eX- tend across the hinge joint and engage the other leaf. Each bar -9 ismounted upon the side of the-corresponding leaves 4 and '5 adj acent to the flanges or stops 6. The bar therefore resists relatlve swinging movement of the leaves in an inward direction,' and the I stops prevent further outward movement thereof. An offset portion is (provided 1n each bar Qin-ivardly of its .pi-votywhich is adapted to bridge the rib formed, by the hinges or the leaves 1 and 5 when; the latter are extended iii-their operative positions. A shoulder is thus formed in the bar which will engage the said rib to prevent movement 01 the bar into inoperative position; nor- Y vmallyybut thisshouldermay be freed from engagement with the rib so that itzmay pass thereover, when the bar is being renderedinoperative, byflexing the corresponding end portions thereof outwardly. Y '1 Access'niay be had to the interior of the doors l1 and .12, the former-being provided near the top ofone of the sidewalls and the latter abeingarranged in one of the end walls. The upper ,door 11 is designed of the side wall chieflyLto-admit of supplying feed to the chickens and said door is slidably mounted in guides 13, the latter consisting bfportions of the side wall-adjacent theuopening folded upon themselves to receive-opposite edge portions oft-he door 11 The sliding door 11 hasa bent :portion 14: along its upper edge to overlap :th'eupper edgeportion ward movement ofithe door and'insuring the formation of a close joint." An upstanding portion 15 at the upperend of the'door 11 Y provides convenient means to' be grasped by the/hand when manipulating the door 11. The end door 12 is "hingedly connected to v opposite the one having the w I door opening, thereby limiting the downone of the leaves-of anendiwall and has an I opening which is closed by means of a slide .16fwhich is mounted in guidesgl? formed in a manner similar to the guides 1'3 provided for receiving the door 11. J The slide 16'ma'y be held in anyadjus'ted-position tolregulate thesize of the opening to be had in the door 12 so that chicks may have free ingress and;

egress while the mother hen may be confined;

of the side walls 1 and are'ada pted to receive suitable, fastenings for securing thestruo ture either to the floor or to the-ground or other supporting surface upon which-the coop may be placed VVhen'the structure is set up-foruse the-leaves of the 'endxwalls w of thebars 9 in the manner herein stated. The side walls '1 incline inoppositefdirections and the spaceinclosed betweenthem is closed by the end walls'Q. I fed through the door controlled opening 11 aline and are held in such position by means- The chickens are and when it is required to admit ,ofthe chicksirunning, at large the slide 16 maybe set according to the size'of the'chicks; said.

slide being fixed by means of a pin l9=passing through one of as'eries ofiope'nings, formed .in the slide and door. l/Vhen the coop is to be set aside or is required t'o be transported it may be reduced to compact formby'folding the end walls inwardly and bringing-the side walls 1 together, thereby providing compact package of flattened form, asindi cated most clearly in thedrawingsg A liandie 20 is, had for convenience of carrying the deviceand is mounted onTthe wire. 3*?

From-the foregoing description, takenin I connection with the. accompanying draw. ings the advanta'g es of the construction and ofthemethod' of operation will bereadily apparent tothoseskilledin the art to which the invention appertains, and while I have described the principle of 'operationof the invention, together with thedevice which I now consider to'fbejthe" best embodiment t'hereo'f, I 'de sireetohave it understood that V the device shown j is merely illustrative, and

that such changes may. be made when de- "sired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto. 1 Each of the bars 9 is" or a maximum length to form {a substantial brace for the leavesof the end walls, when the structure is setup; 'One end" OfeaQh braceis beveled,"a'sindicated most clearly in Figs. 2 and-4, so asyto engage {with the} outstanding portion'6 "of the wingto which th'e The wire fastenings- 7, constitutinglthe hinge connections between ithejeiid andiside bra'ce is'pivoted, thereby form-ing'a stopto 7 .hold the brace 'in'horiZontal position;-

wallsj have their end portions connected by i 'adrop 0f so lder,' '-thereby' preventing the weather from having any effect thereon. Thislsolcler may also'serve tosecurethe fastenings to the side walls and completely close, the openings therein through which the fastenings pass.

Having thus described the invention what 7 is claimed as new, is

1. A portable and. foldable structure of the nature specified, the same comprising side walls, end walls closing the space between the side walls, each of such end walls comprising similar leaves which are hinged to each other,.said leaves having their outer vertical edge portions bent at a right angle to form stops to limit the movement of the leaves in one direction, wire fastenings passing through registering openings formed in the side walls and in the angles formed between the leaves and the bent edge portions of such leaves and constituting hinged connections between the leaves and side walls, and means for limiting the movement of the leaves in an opposite direction to the before mentioned stops and acting jointly therewith to hold the end walls in fixed position.

2. A portable and foldable structure of the nature specified, the same comprising oppositely inclined side walls pivotally connected at their upper edges, triangular shaped end walls comprising similar leaves which are hinged to each other, the outer edge portions of the leaves being bent at a right angle to form stops, wire fastenings passing through registering openings formed in the side walls and angles formed between the said leaves and the bent edge portions thereof and hingedly connecting the leaves to the side walls, and bars pivotally connected to one of the leaves and adapt- 3. A portable and foldable structure of the class described comprising relatively movable side walls, end walls adapted to close the space between the side walls, each end wall consisting of similar leaves having their adjacent edges hinged to each other and their outer side edges hinged to the side walls, outwardly projecting stop flanges formed upon the outer side edges of the leaves of each end wall for engagement with the inner faces of the side Walls when the said leaves are. extended in operative position, and a brace bar pivotally connected with one of the leaves of each end wall on the side thereof adjacent to its stop flange for swinging movement in a plane parallel to the said leaf, the said bar being adapted to be extended in operative position along the adjacent face of the companion leaf, an exteriorly disposedrib being formed upon the meeting edges of the leaves of each end wall by the hinge thereof, each securing bar being provided upon one of its arms with an offset portion adapted to bridge the said rib when in operative position and'afl'ording a shoulderengageable with the opposite leaf.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RUDOLPH H. WAKEMAN.

lVitnesses B. J. MARSHALL, GEo. W. SHEPHERD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each,by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.? 

